MAFAURE, Zimbabwe, Dec 11 (IPS) – When Susan Chinyengetere started to focus on farming in her village in the south-east of Zimbabwe, she wondered if she could make a living and raise her children.
As weather disasters ravaged the country, his skepticism about rain-fed agriculture grew worse. But two years later, the 32-year-old mother of two from Mafaure village in Masvingo, about 295 kilometers from the capital Harare, is still a master farmer.
Armed with early-maturing and drought-resistant varieties of crops such as orange maize, cowpeas and lab livestock feed, Chinyengetere has good yields despite Zimbabwe’s prolonged drought.
“There was a drought last farming season, but I was able to get enough food to feed my family until the next season,” he said. I even sold the scraps at the local market.
Plants That Destroy Severe Drought
Zimbabwe, a landlocked country, relies on rain-fed agriculture. But over the years, the patterns of rain have not changed, threatening the entire agricultural sector. The country of South Africa has been hit by climate disasters one after the other. When there are no violent storms, severe floods or devastating droughts ravaging the country.
From 2023 to 2024, a brutal El Niño drought—the strongest on record—wracked the entire country.
Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia also did not survive the same El Niño drought. There were crop failures in more than 80 percent of the country, according to the government.
Some farmers are left with little or no food, and livelihoods in rural areas have been affected. Zimbabwe may reach a peak in rain-fed agriculture.
But women farmers like Chinyengetere have their own secret to how they are resilient and adapt to the effects of climate change. He is part of Ukama Ustawi, the Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa by CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in the face of climate change. Farmers are divided into at least 15 small groups.
“I use zero tillage when I plant orange corn on my land which covers 40 and 90 meters. The idea is not to disturb the land,” said Chinyengetere. “I was used to white corn. When I joined this project, I planted yellow corn for the first time.”
Zero tillage is an agricultural method where farmers sow seeds directly into the soil without disturbing it. It is part of the organic farming that is becoming popular in Zimbabwe after it was promoted throughout the country by the government. Chinyengetere likes this method because it is less work than plowing.
He says: “Even alone and my children are at school, I can still plant the whole field.
In Masvingo, men also provide climate change solutions through the Ukama Ustawi program, although women are the majority.
Anton Mutasa from Zindere in Masvingo says he has been able to feed his family because of farming that uses the weather. “I grow orange maize, cowpeas and lab-lab. “To save water, prevent soil erosion and allow water to seep in, I spread mulch around the plants,” said the 55-year-old father of six.
This is important, especially in the dry season. I also rotate crops to improve soil fertility. For example, if I planted cowpeas in this part of the world last season, this season I will make sure I plant oranges.”
Climate change affects women differently
Both men and women are affected by climate change. But for women, it hits harder because of pre-existing inequalities. They suffer from entrenched social roles and limited access to services.
Women are mainly responsible for cooking for the family and fetching water, especially in rural areas. This puts them at the forefront of climate change because food and water become scarce when there is severe weather such as drought.
Another farmer, Tendai Marange, who comes from Machengere village in Masvingo, says that the method of small farming allows women to move forward with their work as women. “I am expected to do household chores, but at the same time I want to go to the farm. This method saves time,” said the 47-year-old mother of three children.
Chinyengetere says she encourages other women. “I feel strong. I’m busy. The fact that I bring money and food to the family brings happiness to my marriage,” he said. “I even doubted myself. I thought, as a woman, I am a machine for producing children.”
When Chinyengetere and Marange’s programs are successful, they will share what they learn with others in Zimbabwe outside the borders.
“I offer solutions to climate change. Women are often on the receiving end of climate change. But my case is different; I’m in the lead,” said Chinyengetere.
More than a million farmers have been reached through various agricultural programs. At least 140,000 are using the technology developed under Ukama Ustawi in Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, according to Christian Thierfelder, chief agronomist for farming systems at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), one of the research institutes. working with CGIAR.
About 60 percent of those were women. More than 45 percent were young people.
Thierfelder says that as part of Ukama Ustawi in Zimbabwe, they are working in thirty areas, where drought resistant crops are being tested.
He says that Ukama Ustawi’s main objective is to change the way farmers behave and their ideas, from the usual systems of cultivating maize only to different maize systems under the principles of conservation agriculture. “This involves promoting practices such as crop rotation, crop diversification, and sustainable soil management, all of which are important for improving resilience to climate change and improving long-term productivity,” said Thierfelder.
Many farmers throughout the country lost their livestock due to lack of food after the pastures were reduced and the occurrence of colds caused by El Niño drought. Ukama Ustawi is working to change this by promoting livestock feeding programs with green manure cover crops and cabbage grass.
“I lost my cattle during the previous drought before joining Ukama Ustawi. I had no food and the diseases got worse. Now I use lab-lab to make food for my goats,” said Marange.
The network
Ukama is a Shona word translated as relationship. Marange says the groups provide networking opportunities. “We are a family. We share strategies and ideas about conservation farming,” he said.
Since 2020, CIMMYT has been organizing seed and equipment fairs where farmers can find high quality seeds and equipment that would otherwise be difficult to access. “It is cheaper to buy seeds at the fair. It’s usually cheaper. We get discounts,” said Marange.
Thierfelder says Ukama Ustawi recognizes the importance of integrating various crops, such as legumes, cowpeas, nuts, and small grains, into maize-managed systems to achieve both environmental and economic sustainability.
“Seed fairs play an important role in furthering this goal by providing farmers with the opportunity to obtain different types of seeds, including drought-resistant maize and other crops that support diversity,” he said.
Thierfelder says plans are underway to develop the Ukama Ustawi program to reach more than 20 million farmers around the world with their technology. “This is intended to be increased because those have reached the level of readiness to measure and that is very high,” he said.
For Chinyengetere, the dream is to see more women leading the fight against climate change. “It is difficult to show young women that they are farming under this bad weather. Climate change is pushing them to other dangerous activities such as illegal mining,” he said.
Note: This story was produced with the support of CGIAR and MESHA.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
